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User blog:Vinther/World War 1 Debate
Original posted by Kathy - on 28 of June of 2014. Today, 28 of June of 2014, is world war 1 anniversary. So I thought that I could put some facts from it here, sacrifices shall never be forgotten, as they live on till now a days. 'Facts:' 'Why Germany Lost World War 1?' There are many reasons why Germany lost World War One. One major reason was because of the British Blockade of German Ships. The British Blockade of Germany was one reason, why so many German prisoners were taken. They were hungry and fed up of the war. Back home in Germany, it wasn't much different. The German citizens were also starving, and the situation was worsening with every day. In Germany in 1916, the adult meat ration for one week was the equivalent of two burgers in a modern fast-food restaurant. Faith in the Kaiser was depleting. The German public were putting pressure on the Government to stop fighting, to stop the war. The sinking of German Ships cut supplies of food and Nitrates to Germany - Nitrate being vital for the making of explosives for the army, and fertiliser for the farmers. The result of the British Blockade was that over 300,000 German died due to malnutrition during the 1914-1918. One mistake that the Germans made was to sink the American Cruise-liner, the Lusitania, which was one reason why the USA decided to enter the war in 1917. By 1918, even the front line soldiers were on short rations, and the civilian population was literally starving 760,000 German civilians died in WW1 (compared to 500,000 in WW2); there was no fighting in Germany itself, and no mass bombing campaign as in WW2.These people starved to death as a direct result of the British naval blockade. 'Christmas Eve' On Christmas Eve of 1914, soldiers on both sides of the Western Front sung carols to each other? On Christmas Day, troops along 2/3 of the Front declared a truce. In some places, the truce lasted a week. 'French Wine!' Wine was distributed, to french soldiers only, as an important elixir, each soldier received 37.5 CL of wine as daily ration in 1914. The quantity increased to 50 CL in January 1916 and to 75 CL at the beginning of 1918. 'Casualties' There were over 35 million civilian and soldier casualties in WWI. Over 15 million died and 20 million were wounded. 'Russia Came Into Power' Russia mobilized 12 million troops during WWI, making it the largest army in the war. More than 3/4 were killed, wounded, or went missing in action. 'Artillery Barrage' Artillery barrage and mines created immense noise. In 1917, explosives blowing up beneath the German lines on Messines Ridge at Ypres in Belgium could be heard in London 220 km away. 'The Beginning' WWI began on June 28, 1914, when a Serbian terrorist shot and killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914. Russia and France sided with Serbia, and Germany supported Austria-Hungary. Other countries around the world were soon pulled into the fighting. WWI officially ended 4 years later on November 11, 1918. 'German Trench' German trenches were in stark contrast to British trenches. German trenches were built to last and included bunk beds, furniture, cupboards, water tanks with faucets, electric lights, and doorbells 'Chemical Warfare' France, not Germany, was the first country to use gas against enemy troops in WWI. In August 1914, they fired the first tear gas grenades (xylyl bromide) against the Germans. In January 1915, Germany first used tear gas against Russian armies, but the gas turned to liquid in the cold air. In April 1915, the Germans were the first to use poisonous chlorine gas. 'The Good Nurse' Edith Cavell (1865- October 12 1915) was a British nurse who saved soldiers from all sides. When she helped 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium, the Germans arrested her and she was executed by a German firing squad. Her death helped turn global opinion against Germany. 'Battle Of Somme' The greatest single loss of life in the history of the British army occurred during the Battle of Somme, when the British suffered 60,000 casualties in one day. More British men were killed in that one WWI battle than the U.S. lost from all of its armed forces and the National Guard combined. 'Austria-Hungary' Austria-Hungary was the country with the largest percentage of casualties, of the 7.800.000 men mobilized, 1.200.000 died, 3.620.000 were wounded and 2.200.000 were taken as prisoners or missing with a total of 7.020.000 Casualties, inflicting that 90% of the Austria-Hungary army was ruined. 'Treaty Of Versailles' The Treaty of Versailles stated that Germany had started WWI. It gave Alsace and Lorraine back to France. Poland picked up German territory in the east, and other territories were given to Belgium and Lithuania. The treaty also transferred the Hultschin area of Upper Silesia to Czechoslovakia. The eastern part of Upper Silesia was assigned to Poland. Lower Silesia, meanwhile, was left entirely to Germany. The key Baltic port of Danze, the industrial region of the Saar Basin, and the strategically important Rhineland were also taken from Germany. Its armed forces were strictly limited and its colonies were made League of Nations mandates. A 1921 Reparations Committee decided that Germany should pay $33 billion in compensation to the Allies for the damage it caused. The Treaty left Germany humiliated and impoverished, which left the world vulnerable to another world war. '10 Bloodiest Battles Of World War I' *Hundred Day Offensive (1,855,369 Casualties) *Spring Offensive (1,539,715 Casualties) *Battle of the Somme (1,219,201 Casualties) *Battle of Verdun (976,000 Casualties) *Battle of Passchendaele (848,614 Casualties) *Serbian Campaign (633,500 Casualties) *First Battle of Marnes (483,000 Casualties) *Battle of Gallipoli (473,000 Casualties) *Battle of Arras (278,000 Casualties) *Battle of Tannenberg (182,000 Casualties) Category:Blog posts